DAY 11

QUIET IN THE CONSTANT MOTION

CASEY CONNELL, YOUNG ADULTS PASTOR

“He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” —Psalm 107:29

How do we achieve quiet in the midst of constant, busy, unapologetic, chaotic motion?

Where does peace fit into the rigorous, fast-paced, task-driven lifestyle we’ve been urged to live out?

Is it still possible to live a life of simple faith, while our world drives the emphasis on the hustle and “grinding it out” to succeed?

The human answer is “NO.” Man cannot live in steady and spastic simultaneously. We can’t step into Sabbath rest while crushing the metaphorical game. Mankind is in need of a factory reset when it comes to our work ethic and energy output... if not, we’re headed towards an imminent short circuit.

While impossible with man, God answers the question, “Is it possible to live a life of simple faith?” with a resounding YES. What does it take to make it happen, you ask? All it takes is a bit of audacity; it requires the upheaval of our own developed patterns of life and success. But this is not something that we can do; this kind of change only happens through Christ. It’s found in the laying down of what parts of us Christ calls “dead”... the burial of our fleshly, all consuming, hell-bound striving.

God never called us to this type of living. To the striving, starving, suffocating pace of living where the ambition of our flesh consumes our every breath.

So we lay it down... The result? When what is meant to die stays dead, we become alive to what God has created us for. A life where our pace isn’t dictated by our desperate/frantic nature, but rather by His nature. One that looks like peace instead of paced. Like rest instead of rush. Like rejoicing rather than endless redundancy.

The big question, HOW DO WE GET THERE?? It feels like there is always a temptation to be lulled back into the hurry. To give into the temptation to live sleepwalking, running on autopilot.

And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." —Mark 14:27–28 ESV

Just as Jesus responded to the disciples when they couldn't stay awake and on alert while he prayed in the garden, God is saying, “Sit with me... could you not stay awake to the reality I have ushered in for just one second?” He says, “Come, be with me; when you’re at my feet, you will begin to see the pace I’m setting; you’ll begin to walk in step.”

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. —Galatians 5:16 ESV

God invites us to walk in stride with him. This way of living is far more sustainable than striving to see the flesh get the approval it seeks in its constant toil (a little secret... it never will, NEVER).

It’s time for us to make a trade... our shattered, exhausted lives for His life-giving Spirit.

To give up the fast paced, noise-polluted way of doing things and begin resting in the quiet, peaceful presence of God.

When we live in this manner, starting off at His feet, walking at His pace, doing life empowered by His Holy Spirit, we get to encounter a sense of quiet in the midst of the constant motion around us. We no longer rely on our momentum to carry us through our busy life. This new life provides rest, and helps us recognize that he carries us through it all, that he always has, and always will.

If we choose to live life at the pace of His presence, we’ll give space for His leading and have both the time and the means to follow where He is taking us. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it's not. Life at the pace of our Savior is sweet, and it gives way for others to encounter the quiet as well.

PRAYER

Take some time to slow down and simply praise the Lord, spending time giving thanks for who He is before rushing into your own lists and agendas. Once you’ve spent some time praising, it’s time to ask the Lord to bring quiet into your life. This prayer could look something like this,

“God, the constant rush and noise of this world isn’t what you’ve called us to. I don’t desire to live at this pace anymore. Would you shape my life around your presence? As I lay myself down at your feet, would you teach me to rest in the quiet and calm of your presence? Would you teach me to remain in your Spirit as I walk each day, yielding my pace to yours, not to mine or the pace of the world? Teach me to walk in step with your Spirit, giving room for you to lead me. Equip me to lead others into your peace.”